Midnight's Children (2012)

The greatest movie ever made..!

everything you have heard about this movie is true.

One of the most extraordinary films you will see this year. Take that as you want.

Through painfully honest and emotional moments, the movie becomes irresistibly relatable

Beautiful, good idea, but maybe much too long for a single film. Interesting take on the evolution of India but the drama did not take. Some events seems coming out of a magician hat. Something is missing for the film to glue together.

I have been to India. I am moderately familiar with Indian history. I had never heard of the book. I found the film very entertaining, emotionally gripping, and altogether a very interesting perspective of what the lives of children born at the stroke of independence could have been like. Of particular interest, almost a shock is a scathing assessment of Indira Gandhi, at least of a portion of her period holding power. Never mind the book, I think the film is abundant food for thought or perhaps "rethought" on how freedom and post-colonialism works and human destiny in a broader sense. One thing the story definitely confirms: Most revolutions, whatever their justification and ultimate vindication, have meant mostly disaster and misery for the first generation.

I'll make it brief. It is understandable that the lowest ratings came from the USA. The Indian sub-continent is exactly 1/2 way around the world or about 23hrs flying time (in the air) from NY. We don't get much exposure to this culture as say the UK, NZ or Australians do. Here in the US this culture is associated with newsstands and taxicabs, pity actually. I have been there several times for extended periods and appreciate the people and culture. This gives one a different perspective. I thought the Historical perspective, Love story, and dream sequences were wonderfully interwoven. Wanna hop on a plane to Delhi right now!

I haven't read the book. I have heard a lot about it, though. I got an opportunity to watch it & it was magnificent. So, this review will more connect with people who HAVEN'T READ THE "BOOKER OF BOOKERS!"Deepa Mehta's magic works once again after her Elements Trilogy. The topics were bold then. Now the topic is diverse - mostly because with a fountain of genres, Midnight's Children talks about many things... from love to superstitions, from the Partition to the Emergency, from magic to realism... narrated so wonderfully, it enthuses. The last 20 minutes are little boring & staid but the first 100 minutes makes up for a good show.Performances are brilliant with every single person working beautifully & totally carving a splendid character out of Rusdhie's imagination. Ronit Roy, Bhabha, Goswami, Darsheel Zafary & Rahul Bose are terrific. Music is amusing, screenplay is good and the locations are so genuine with no anachronisms at all, MC marks as another super-hit by the Deepa-Hamilton duo. Certain sequences/ideologies troubled me but since it is all fiction encapsulated in a narrative, I quite enjoyed it. Depiction of sensitive topics is great which is not unusual in a Deepa Mehta film. A lot could be written about it and the best way to know all about it is to watch it.The tale from the 1940s to the 1970s, with certain twists & turns, beautiful ideas, relationships, empathy, violence, real topics, age- transitions, fights, superstitions, sex, infidelity tiny tidbits and the magic... is enduring. 8.2/10!BOTTOM LINE: Quite a good, charismatic watch. Not Deepa's magnum opus, though.MESSAGE: Liberty doesn't come cheap.Can be watched with a typical Indian family? MAYBE NO.Profanity: Mild | Nudity: No | Sex: Mediocre | Violence: Critical | Gore: Critical | Alcohol: Strong | Smoking: Mild | Drugs: No